Science and technology set to build a brighter future

By Zhao Lei

China achieved many successes in science, technology and major infrastructure construction in 2017.

The nation's first cargo spacecraft, Tianzhou 1, also the country's largest spacecraft, was launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province atop a Long March 7 carrier rocket. It conducted several docking and refueling operations with the Tiangong II space lab. The Tianzhou 1 and Tiangong II missions saw China become the third nation to develop in-orbit refueling technology, after Russia and the United States.

Chinese designers and engineers completed two C919 narrow-body jetliners, the nation's latest attempt to break the Airbus and Boeing duopoly. The aircraft conducted several flight tests last year.

Below the waves, China's newest manned submersible Shenhai Yongshi, or Deep-sea Warrior, reached a depth of 4,500 meters during a 49-day expedition in the South China Sea carried by the Tansuo 1 mother ship.

In the railway sector, the CR400 series, one of the world's fastest fleets, was put into formal operation. With a maximum operating speed of 350 kilometers per hour, the CR400 is the world's fastest wheeled train in commercial use.

Construction of the world's longest sea-crossing project, the 55-kilometer-long Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, continued on schedule, and will be completed this year.